The Birth of the Jersey Shore

An encyclopedic collection of profiles of the people who shaped New Jersey’s coastline—from architects and businessmen to sports figures and entertainers. The Jersey Shore evokes images of boardwalks and beach resorts, but its beginnings were far different. In the mid-nineteenth century, visionary entrepreneurs transformed the sleepy agrarian and maritime communities of the Garden State coast with a series of energetic new visitors and venues. Artists, politicians, athletes, entertainers and ord